The End of the Golden King
by SairinSosara
Summary: All things must come to an end, and this my friends is an event one hundred and fifty years in the making. Even gods must one day fall, and darkness take the place of divinity.


Ah, welcome back to the Library Friend. It is me, Sairin, with my partner Sosara the Smeargle. We have gotten a report of a tragedy this day. My dear friend, I have a story for you today that will change the face of Ourus. I'm sorry to say this story is only the beginning of what I fear is a much larger adventure that has yet to be told.

Sit back my friend, and listen to this, the end of the Tale of the Golden Emperor.

* * *

A figure darted from shadow to shadow. This was rather difficult actually, as the Golden Palace of the Emperor's courtyard was lit up with tons of spotlights at all times, so that at night the Golden light of the palace could be seen even from space. Or it would be for someone not blessed by his lord as he was. His hand grasped the necklace he wore, and he moved through the void into the next shadow, popping up, and freezing, in case the Beast of Legends had felt him. He knew that this could be a suicide mission. However, his faith would win the day.

He ducked down quickly as a patrol passed his position. The cold darkness squeezed the air from his lungs and froze his joints for the time it took him to reappear before a giant golden door. Standing, he placed his hands on the doors. His palms flat on the golden surface, he chanted a prayer.

"All things end,  
All things fade.  
I am but a pawn

Of he who sits at the end of all.

Oh Lord Giratina, I call thy name. Help me strike down these false idols of Gold and White. Give me the strength of darkness to destroy your enemies, and bring the end of the idolatry of the heathens."

From his hands, shadows began to spread, blacking out the golden light and engulfing the door. Gold turned grey as the shadows seemed to take...something from everything they touched. The doors were quickly engulfed, but the shadows did not stop there, spreading over the courtyard, blotting out the lights.

Soon, total darkness asserted itself. And once it did, the hands of the religious man pushed open the large golden doors as if they weighed less then a feather. They swung open and though they crashed against the wall, not a sound was made. A long hallway stretched before him, full of large knights armed to the teeth with swords, shields, lances, and even a couple stationed at the end of the hall with bows trained on him. Alongside each knight was a Nidoking, and the two archers had a Charizard beside each lighting their arrow tips on fire.

"Halt! You are trespassing in the home of the emperor. Step no further and you may live to see the end of this day!" The biggest knight of them all said. He stood in the middle of the hallway, wielding a large, glowing hammer, a rather large Golem by his side.

"I am in the home of a idolator. A disgusting paragon of 'virtue' and 'honor'" The invader said with a sneer. "However, tonight he falls. But first... I offer you the chance to turn your eyes from you golden idol Arceus, deceiver, and embrace the lord of the Reverse World. Embrace Giratina!"

"So you are here on behalf of the Dark Church." The knight began. "Well no one here will embrace your false lord!" The rest of the knights in the hall shouted in affirmation.

"Hm... I'm sorry to hear that. However, my lord is nothing if not insistent. If you won't embrace him..." He spread his arms out wide, showing the red eye pendant on his chest that blinked once before seeming to ignite. "He will still embrace you."

From the walls, floors, and ceiling, shadows reached out. All light in the corridor was snuffed out, save the flame on the Charizards' tails. Dark, amorphous tentacles shot out and wrapped around each and every one of the knights and the pokemon, pulling them back. Panic erupted as the knights were dragged back into the shadows. The lucky ones had tentacles wrapped around their necks, they died before they were dragged into the shadows. The screams of the unlucky, who were pulled into the shadows, broke the wills of the ones who lasted longer before they too joined their ally's.

Shadows also wrapped around the religious man, protected him from the arrows that flew towards him. And then suddenly there was only the follower of darkness and the head knight.

"My name is Eric." The religious man began. "Follower of my Lord Giratina, and I offer you one chance knight captain. My lord has seen potential in you, and spared you. Throw down your hammer, let me pass, and step into the darkness. If you do this, your rewards will be immeasurable. If you refuse, you will suffer more then all your men currently are combined." Echoed screams came from the shadows.

The big man was shaking, his head full of the vision of his friends, his allies, sucked into the darkness so easily. He gave the smallest of nods, and his hammer fell to the ground, it's light going out immediately. A portal opened to his left. He looked at it terrified.

"Step into the portal and accept your new master...I didn't get your name." Eric said curiously.

"My...my name is Mark." The knight replied.

"Then step into the darkness Mark. Your new life begins now." He watched the knight shuffle into the darkness, before it closed behind him. He smiled softly, a new recruit always warmed his heart. However he pushed the feeling aside and began his walked down the long corridor, aiming at another golden door, this one somehow maintaining it's shine. He knew the enemy must be there. This was it. Either he would succeed or he would fail. The price of his failure would be excruciating but he took this mission knowing that.

"Darkness guide my beating heart, Giratina shield me." He whispered. He reached the golden door and it opened before he could even touch it.

" **Step inside child, we have much to talk about.** " He could see the golden throne, on it sat a giant of a man, in his full armor. He sat rigidly on his throne, looking at the man. The great beast Arceus was sitting beside him. It's fierce glare on him.

"I'm sure you are aware I did not come to talk." Eric said. He kept a light tone, knowing this man could kill him easily.

" **Yet regardless, that's what we will do. For now.** " The mans presence was so overwhelming his very words threatened to push Eric to his knees. But he took solace in his faith and walked into the room with his head held high.

"You know why I'm here." Eric didn't ask. He knew it.

" **My partnership with Arceus has given me many things. We both knew this day was coming.** " The Emperor said. " **I've known this day was coming before you were born, from the day I gave up my name, I knew that this was my end.** " The armor shifted. " **Even as you end me though, you spell the end of your own life, your own game.** " This gave Eric pause. " **I have lived this moment many times, but never have I seen one thing. So I ask of you child, only one thing.** " He stood, and the sheer weight of his standing sent Eric to his knees, the pressure akin to being at the bottom of the ocean looking up, he could only stop himself from hitting the floor by virtue of his hands beneath him. Golden light shined through the room, and Eric felt sheer power literally crushing him. " **Answer me this one question, then do the deed.** "

Eric could only nod.

" **I won't ask why you find the union of pokemon and human so repugnant. I won't ask why you seek to fight peace. I won't even ask why you killed my men when you obviously could have snuck in here. These questions have obvious answers to me. There is only one question I have, one question I don't see the answer to.** "

"And if all this is obvious to you, what could be so important?"

" **What happens next?** "

The pressure lessened immensely. Eric was able to stand and he looked right into the eye slits of the armor to see the eyes of a man who had lived for his people for so long, he could no longer see what else there was.

"With your death, the kingdoms will have no idea where to go. There will be fights. There will be war. There will be death. You've ruled with an iron fist for so long humanity can no longer move forward without you." He growled. "Pokemon will find their rightful place below our heel." Standing straight now, he stepped forward. "And my master will move into this chaos, and without the golden beast to stop him, will drag this world into it's rightful place."

" **I see... You are severely underestimating humanity young one.** ". The golden knight. " **You, and your master both.** " With that, he sat upon his throne, and no more words were said. Arceus stood in front of Eric, and looked him in his eyes. Eric reached out for the beast, and to his surprise, his hand rested upon the God of Pokemons snout. Blinding pain brought him to his knees, and a flash of light came from the beast. The amulet on his chest burned red and darkness sprouted around his body. It fought the light for a second and through the blinding light he saw the darkening form of the Emperor of all.

A shattering sound caused his ears to bleed, and suddenly he was alone. On the golden throne sat the Knight of God, encased in stone. Arceus was there too, encased in gold, still radiating power, but on a far reduced scale. Both successfully sealed away.

They couldn't be killed. For now his master did not have the power needed to kill the originator of all. However they could seal him away. Take his influence from the world.

His right arm, the one he had touched the beast with, caught his eye. From the elbow down it now shined as if it were made of liquid gold. It still felt like his arm, but he knew that he had been marked. He would never be able to slip into the crowd unnoticed now. He would have to live with the mark of his deeds.

Good thing he had never planned to hide.

The newly gilded arm pushed against the closed doors, and where it touched the metal corroded and dented. He walked through the hallway into the courtyard where dozens of armed men awaited him.

"Good morning men!" He raised his arms, one golden one regular. One marked by the loss of a god, one still given the life of man. "I've just taken your god, and your emperor! All in the name of Giratina and his loyal followers!" Cries echoed out. "Human and Pokemon were not made to work together. We are not partners! They are our servants, and always will be! You have forgotten yourselves, in your indulgence and now we, the loyal followers of the Great God of Reversal, will show you the way!" An arrow pierced his throat but to everyones surprise he did not die.

"What..." Eric bit out before dozens more arrows pierced his body. He fell to his knees from the pain but his body pushed the arrows out of his body. The wounds healed up. And the golden glow on his arm got stronger. And then he realized what had been done.

He was surrounded by men, cutting him, stabbing him, pokemon burning him, shocking him, poisoning him, but no matter what happened he couldn't die. The pain was there though. Finally they gave up, and restrained him. By his count he should have died at least a hundred times before it was all over. His eyes were blank.

They had known he was coming, the Emperor had said as much. And so Arceus had had time to prepare for him a punishment. A judgment.

He would have to live with what he'd done... He would not be allowed to die and join his lord. He was doomed to life. He could feel, now, that his connection to Giratina had been severed.

He was alone.

He was captured.

Death would not come for him.

The sobs came before they even got him to his cell.

* * *

I have gathered this story from the mouth of the would be assassin himself. He was fully willing to give me all the details. At least, about the event. No matter what was done to him he still will not divulge anything more about his compatriots. This church of Giratina. All we know is they wish to see this world dragged into the reverse world.

I will continue my research, as I always do. I will find whatever I can about this beast, Giratina.

And me, and all like me, will try to find a way to save our Emperor.

There are already reports though of the truth of Eric the Worshippers tale. The kingdoms have begun moving against each other already. Skirmishes are breaking out.

We may be on the edge of the end of the world.

For now we part my friends. I will bring you more tales when I have them.


End file.
